The present invention relates to a torque tool for tightening or loosening a connection, as well as a method for tightening or loosening the same.
In the known prior art, the tightening and loosening of connections such as on gas turbines or gas pipelines is typically accomplished with the use of hand wrenches. Two wrenches are typically used, one to hold the fitting area in place, and the second wrench is used to tighten or loosen the bolt.
In normal applications, the force to be applied by a typical hand operated wrench is insufficient to either tighten or loosen an industrial bolt. Additionally, such bolt connections are often inaccessible or surrounded by other industrial equipment such as pipes and gauges and electrical fittings and the like. Such environmental fittings and pipes render it difficult to safely manipulate hand wrenches in the immediate area.
Additionally, it is often the case that in view of surrounding equipment and the like, it is not possible to manipulate a hand wrench in the proximity of the bolt to be turned. Under such situations it is necessary to extend the length of the hand wrench by inserting thereon a length of a pipe which surrounds the handle of the wrench and effectively extends it therefrom.
Thus, in a typical prior art application it is sometimes necessary to manipulate two hand wrenches each extended through the use of a length of pipe, so that the wrenches will be extended through the surrounding area to tighten or loosen a bolt.
Such a procedure is both difficult and tedious, as well as potentially dangerous in view of possible damage to surrounding equipment such as pipelines or electrical fittings or the like.
It is therefore believed to be clear that it is advisable to provide an approved tool and method for tightening and loosening of such connections.